What is the greatest hip-hop song featuring a duo of rappers? After much debate and deck rewinding, I’ve narrowed it down to the three finalists who represent what a great collaboration can achieve. Enough! To my findings… The finalists: “The What” (featuring Method Man) The Notorious B.I.G. Ready To Die (1994) “Renegade” (featuring Eminem) Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001) “Twinz” (featuring Fat Joe) (Deep Cover 98) Big Pun…Read More

“Shock Body” is the fourth track on Talib Kweli‘s 2002 solo-release, Quality. Produced by DJ Scratch, “Shock Body” shines brightly even though there are several other hits scattered across this album, including “Guerrilla Monsoon Rap” and “Get By”, both produced by Kanye West. Like a body-builder victoriously flexing his swollen bicep in a championship contest, Kweli skillfully moves through this tongue-twister of a song with a contagious confidence that…Read More

“Konichiwa Bitches” is the fifteenth track on Method Man’s 2006 album, 4:21 …The Day After. 4:21 …The Day After is perhaps the most important album to be spawned from depths of the prestigious Wu-Tang Clan family. The album features a wise-beyond-his-years Method Man front and center accompanied by a familiar crew, including the likes of Redman and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Method Man’s lyrical work in his prime puts…Read More

In what I consider to be the best freestyle session ever recorded, Big-L and Jay-Z combine forces to deliver a seemingly exhaustive example of their respective rapping skills. The date: 1995. The place: “The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show”. Now, I want to make it clear that I understand that this track and most “freestyles” are not completely off the dome and often contain references to the…Read More

In an epic five-minute analytical ocean, Lauryn Hill not only taught me 20 things I didn’t know, but also gave birth to possibly the best chorus on Kanye West’s The College Dropout. “Mystery of Iniquity” is arranged a little differently than most tracks, but that’s for good reason. Rarely have I ever seen someone go so hard rapping while simultaneously playing the guitar. Lauryn is a…Read More